This invention relates generally to rotary lawn mowing apparatus and more particularly concerns discharge and grass-catching apparatus for such lawn mowers.
Rotary lawn mowers, as used herein, includes mowers with a cutting blade rotating at substantial speed about a vertical axis within a housing. Prior art rotary mowers have side discharge openings in their housing for exit of cut grass particles. These discharge openings typically define a chute directed either substantially transverse to the intended direction of travel of the mower at an acute angle thereto. It is also known to provide such mowers with some means for collecting grass clippings in the event that the growth being mowed is so substantial that discharge of grass clippings onto the lawn would result in an unsightly accumulation or would actually be harmful to lawn growth.
However, prior art bagging apparatus for connection to the side discharge opening on the housing has a number of significant shortcomings. One of the foremost of these shortcomings is unwieldy chute apparatus making disconnecting and reconnecting of the bag assembly difficult. Prior bagging apparatus for rotary mowers has nomally required two-handed disconnection of the grass-catching bag from the mower housing. This can be a constant source of irritation and difficulty for the user. Another disadvantage of prior art bagging apparatus having a side discharge is that with the bag and chute assembly removed, the mower housing sometimes does not provide sufficient protection to users, since the discharge opening is not covered by a downward deflector when the bagging apparatus is removed.
A further disadvantage of prior art bagging apparatus is that often a "plug" or wad of grass tends to form in the chute area between the main section of the bag and the housing. This plug of grass might not be removed in disconnection of the bag for emptying. Therefore it sometimes is necessary to manually clear the chute attached to the housing, a chute which is often relatively inaccessible.
The present invention is improved bagging and discharge apparatus for a rotary mower in which disconnection of the bag and a relatively rigid chute member from the housing is easily accomplished. Upon removal of the chute, a spring-biased deflector with which the chute normally mates during bagging, drops downward to provide downward deflection of cut particles so that the mower may be immediately used as a side discharge mower without the bagging apparatus, the deflector providing substantial protection against upward discharge of cut particles. In addition the spring-biased deflector and chute, together with a portion of the housing, provide a positive locking connection between the bagging attachment and housing.